Is Tumi Morake a racist?

Comedian and Jacaranda FM breakfast host Tumi Morake recently came under fire , after she made an analogy that angered many of her white listeners.

Tumi Morake who joined radio veteran Martin Bester is accused of having made a racist remark about the apartheid South Africa. Morake was speaking about the country’s transition into democracy and how little was done in terms of reparations of black people after apartheid ended.

The issue has angered the white minority communities who are threatening to take harsh steps against the embattled radio station. An online page was created on facebook to protest against the alleged racists remarks made by Tumi Morake.

On the other hand, Eric Barnard Meubels in Pretoria has pulled its advertising from Jacaranda FM claiming that they do not want to be associated with a station that “gets involved with politics and mix it with business”. “Comments made by that lady [Tumi Morake] are very racial and political…I cannot associate with a station that takes one side,” Barnard said. “By taking away the advertising, we are saying enough is enough,” Barnard said.

Embattled radio station, Jacaranda FM, has written a letter to its advertisers in which it states that the station firmly believes that Morake’s apartheid analogy had not intended to insult or anger any racial demographics and was “intended only to express her views of the apartheid period”. Kevin Fine came to Morake’s defense by saying, “her views of the apartheid period are not racist and do not constitute hate speech as has been alleged, Station Manager said in the letter.

Is Tumi Morake’s analogy constitute hate speech or are we just used to seeing things in black or white, rather than black and white?